The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1887-04-14

we're forty miles out it turued to a
summer gale, and was pouring tor
rents.
And now comes the singular part
OF the story. We had the right Of
way, and our dispatcher vas to koep
the whole line up to Fabyan's open
for us, my instructions being to stop
only at North Conway for water. So
| gavo her the throttle, aud we bowl
cd along at good rate Of speed,
making perhaps, thirty to tbirty-6ve
miles an hour. IA we went whistle.
iug througi Sebago Lake station,
| had kiud OF feeling come over me
that there was something wrong.
| didn't notice il at first, but every
now aud then it would come TO me
that all wasn't right. alters exam"
inc my mactine before | START, give
her good oiin', look well 10 tho
bolts and parallel rods, try the levers
and such and so | krew when we
left Portland, old 40 was in perfect
working trim. Yet the feeling grew
on me until it was steady thing. /
tried to shake it off, but it wasn't no
uso. felt it in my bones that some
thing was up.
"Now you gentlemen will laugh at
NE for being fool, aud l don't
blame you. for we was agoing along
all right; every thing from the water
guage to the cylinders was a workin
in good t;mo, and knew it was only
my imaf ination, but, TO tell the
truth, began to feel uneasy, | had
been an engineer for ten years, and
had been through some pretty tough
scrapes. without BLOWN for brakes,
and the boys all said as how had
a good deal Of pluck. Now ! began
to lose all confidence.
Bob" says to myself. this
won't do. You're gettiu' nervous,
and all for nothnI You've no busi-
ness to be superstitious at your time
Of life. Brace mp, old boy r.
"rwa'n't no use, however, could
have stood up in court aud sworn
that there was kink somewhere,
We'll, meanwhile We was sliding
along, and pretty soon reached North
Conway, where We was to give the
machine drink. "Dap," Gays I tc
my fireman, there's netting out
the way with this machine, and l
don't know what it is.
What makes you think 30 I" say {
Dan
II cant tell 1 replied; "she works
all right, but l feel it in my bones
Guess you're thinkin' Of your
wife" returned Dan with a laugh.
But while We were gettin' in the
water / took lantern and went all
around the engine. l looked at ev.
cry part of her, raped the bars,
knocked wheels, tried her at every
point, aud couldn't find nothiu'.
"Pshaw I" says |, I'm fool.
She's oil right
"And ! tried to think no more
about it, but the feeling was ther,
all the same. and do the best thing
that | could wasn't able to throw
it of Well, we had got pretty
good distance in the mountains, and
with that light load 40 didn't make
nothiu' Of the up,grades.'
Perhaps, gentlemen, you have
never been through the bills in win
ter. It's somewhat different from
summer, l can tell you. The noun
tains loom up dark and solemn, ant
with their snow-covered sides the,
seem kinder like big glum giant'
that have turned to stone standing
guard over the valley. The silence
and desolation sorter awes one, and
it dent seem right to 60 shriekinf
and screaming along their sidsI
in the dead O. night. This time il
was worse than ever. The winC
swept down the valley with a roa
that could be heard above the rush o
the train. 1t whistled and yelle'
at the cab windows, and blew th,
rain and sleet 30 hard agin the win
der frame l could scarcely see th
short distance lit by the headlight
The great trees rocked TO and FRI
aud seemed to hold out their aim
in warning. 1t was a solemn plac
for any one; and l felt it, particular
, ly as l had this awful weight o
anxiety on my mind that had beel
u GROWN stronger and stronger eacl
minute.
We had passed Bartletts, goin